van gent



PATENTED FEB. 2', 1904.

No. 751,3 1. M. 0. VAN GENT.

FIRE ESCAPE. APPLIOATI'ON FILED 00T.15. 1902.

Manna-sum 1.

H0 MODEL.

g l W" No. 751,361. BATENTED FEB. 2, 1904.

M. 0. VAN GENT.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.15,1902.

N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS co. PHOTO-LXTHO.. WASHINGYON. 0.1:.

UNITED STATES Patented February 2, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 751,361, dated February 2, 1904.

, Application filed October 15, 1902.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, MARINUS CoRNELIs VAN GENT, a subject of the Queen of the Netherlands, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fire-escapes, the ob- Q ject being to provide a device of this charactached.

The construction of the improvement will be fully described hereinafter in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, and its novel features will be defined in the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the device applied to a windowframe in position for use. .Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the combined reel and frictionbrake employed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same, partly broken away. Fig. 4-shows the folding supporting device, its unfolded position being shown in dotted lines.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are denoted by the same reference characters.

The support by means of which the device is suspended from a window comprises a bar 1, adapted to be secured to the Window-frame by screws 2, a horizontal bar 3, hinged at its inner end to the upper end of the bar-1, and an inclinedbrace-bar 4:, hinged at its lower end to the lower end of the bar 1 and provided at its upper end with parallel arms 5, adapted to embrace the outer end of the horizontal bar 3. A screw-eye 6 depends from the outer end of the horizontal bar 3. The loose connection between the brace and outer end of the horizontal bar 3 permits said brace and bar to be folded together against the Serial No- 12'7,336. (No model.) 1

window-frame, as shown in Fig. 4:, as the arms 5 readily slide on the bar 3.

The combined reel and brake comprises a frame consisting of parallel plates 6, 7 and 8, spaced apart by parallel rods 9. A shaft 10 is mounted in bearings of the frame-plates, and upon said shaft between the plates 6 and 7 is mounted a spool 11. A friction-disk 12 is mounted upon the shaft 10 between the plates 7 and 8, and to the periphery of said disk is secured one end of a band-brake 13, the opposite end of which is secured to a shaft 14, supported in bearings formed in the upper portions of the frame-plates and having a knob 15 upon its projecting end. Upon the spool 11 is Wound a strap 16, one end of said strap being secured to the spool, While a snaphook 17 is secured to the other end of said strap and secured to the screw-eye 6 of the supporting-frame. The plates 6 and 7 are each formed with a perforated ear 18, and a snap-hook 19 is suspended between said ears for the attachment'of a triangular sling or seat of fabric which passes around the body and between the legs of the user and is provided at each of its three corners with a ring 20. I

The utility and operation of the improvement will be readily understood. The strap 16 is attached to the screw-eye of the supporting-frame, and the sling or seat is attached, by means of its rings 20, to the snaphook '19. The strap then unwinds from its spool to lower the'user, the rapidity of the unwinding and descent being controlled by the band brake, which is manipulated by means of the knob 15.

The shaft 10 is provided at one end with a crank 21 for winding up the strap upon the reel or spool.

When the supporting-frame is not permanently secured to the window-frame, it may be clamped thereto.

I would have it understood that the invention is not restricted to the exact construction shown, but includes also all suchmodifications and variations in the details as mayfall within the scope of the following claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent A fire-escape, comprising a frame, a reel journaled in said frame, abrake-disk also jour- 5 naled in said frame, a brake-band surrounding said disk, a brake-actuating shaft mounted in said frame and provided with means for manually turning it, the ends of said brake-band being secured to said brake-shaft and arranged IO to Wind thereon whereby when the latter is turned said ends Will Wind on the brake-shaft and tighten the brake-band around the disk, and means for suspending said frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of the subscribing Witnesses. 5

MARINUS CORNELIS VAN GENT.

Witnesses:

CHAS. H. DAvIDs, J. CLARK PYBAS. 

